The festival preparations seemed to be in full swing now. People hustled everywhere on the festival grounds and made it look like a fair. Surprisingly, the ceremony was on a new moon night. As far as I knew from my knowledge of festivals in the Middle East, they would usually take place on some auspicious date, or on a full moon. But the festival of Eternia always took place on a new moon in January. Overall, the concept was very interesting. It was supposed to mark the beginning of transformation for human beings. A transformation of love, kindness, and empathy. Eternia had always hoped to see humans love each other more, so she discontinued the law of dissociation, but whether or not her sacrifices were worth it, remained a mystery to me.
"Are you ready, Moon?" Anya barged into the room, and I covered myself with the gown. Though I wasn't completely undressed, I was still a bit startled and shy.
"Anya, what the hell?! There's something called knocking!" I snapped. She shrugged and sat on the bed.
"Oh come on, not like I don't have the same parts as you do."
Anya began using her phone again, and I quickly threw on the beautiful gown. Astra had gifted the gown to me, and I really loved her efforts in designing it for me. Once I was done, I twirled in front of the mirror, and I was surprised by how quickly that made me feel like a fairytale princess.
"What do you think?" I looked through the mirror at Anya. She looked at me for a long moment.
"What is it?" I asked her impatiently.
"Tch! Shush, I'm not taking that long. Plus, I'm not Vic that I'll stare at you for an hour straight, you're not even THAT beautiful."
The mere mention of Vic's name made me blush. It was hard to comprehend my feelings for him, because even though sometimes he would be an angel, other times he would behave like an animal. But over the past few days of seeing him here and there at the festival grounds, made it easier for me to adjust around him.
"Ooooh, someone's blushing!" Anya smirked at me and chuckled.
"Ugh, Anya!"
"Okay, okay, fine! You look great! Can we go now?"
I nodded at her question, and she quite literally dragged me out of the room with her.
When I arrived at the spot, I was mesmerized by the decorations. It was praise-worthy how quickly the people of Hestia managed to get everything together for the festival. Even among the crowd on the ground, Anya somehow managed to spot Astra, Vlad, and Vic, and in no time, I was being dragged around like a sack again to catch up with our friends.
"Anya! Moon! I'm so glad you guys could make it on time!" Astra said, while I kept fixing my dress.
"Ugh! Anya, I told you not to drag me around like that! What's so hard to understand about the fact that I'm not used to these dresses, and they're special!" I snapped at Anya, while trying to fix the hem of my dress.
"God, sorry, you're so dramatic!" Anya said, and even though I felt like I could start a whole feud out of it, I controlled myself. I crouched down and tried to fix it, but truth be told, the closest I ever thought I would be to a dress like this, was at prom. But here I was, dressing up in beautiful gowns everyday, because people in Hestia loved wearing dresses and other traditional attires. While I kept trying to fix my gown, a raspy voice made me look up.
"May I?" Vic crouched down and looked at the hem of my dress with great interest. I almost fell back, but I managed to compose myself. Though these sudden kind gestures were signature moves of Vic, I was still getting used to it.
"Um, s-sure."
Vic didn't look at me, but began fixing the dress. He was silent, and so were the others. For a split second, I looked at the others, and noticed Anya, Vlad, and Astra gaping wide.
"Oh, God! This is so embarrassing!" I pursed my lips and closed my eyes, looking away. It really felt embarrassing to have a man fix my dress on the festival grounds, where there were people walking by us every minute.
"T-That's fine! I-It's okay. I-I'll manage now, thank you." I fumbled with my words, as I tried my best to make the situation less awkward for me, but Vic didn't budge. He looked at me for a second, and as if reading my mind, looked around at the people, and then specifically at Vlad, Anya, and Astra, who immediately looked away. He then continued to work on the hem for a couple more seconds, before getting up.
I slowly got up and looked at my dress. I was surprised by how clean the hem looked!
"Wow… you… really have some skills for that, Vic. Must have had a couple of girlfriends, isn't i-" the words slipped out of my mouth, but it was too late to do anything about it. The depth of what I had said dawned on me, as I quickly turned to look at Vic's uncomfortable and dark face.
"I-I'm sorry, I- I didn't mean to-"
"It's… getting late. Come on." Vic pushed through the crowd and almost vanished, as Vlad followed him.
"Can't you keep your mouth shut for a moment, Moon?! What was your brain doing, you stupid girl?!" I cursed myself and followed them quickly. Vlad and Vic stopped at the clearing, near the river. The path to the river was decorated as well with colorful pieces of fabric and flowers.
"While the celebration of the festival lasts for a day only, the fair lasts for about four days. Eternia wasn't a Goddess or a deity, she was a human being. So the festival doesn't include anything other than respecting and remembering her, and spreading her words of love and kindness among the people of Hestia through its songs, food, and other gestures." Vic briefly paused and turned towards me, but his eyes overlooked me towards the festival grounds. It was as if I wasn't even present, and this time,it was more than just anger for being ignored. I felt sorrow and guilt. I silently moved out of the way for him to continue.
"The festival starts at dawn. It was said that back in the day, when King Osbonte and his Queen Sofia came back after trying to find Eternia, they marked the beginning of this festival. Although they couldn't bring Eternia back, they bore the good news of… a child. They informed the people that Eternia wanted the law of dissociation to be removed. The law of dissociation brought nothing but pain and suffering to the people, as a mark of end to the law, she had blessed the king and queen with a girl child. Eternia had said that this girl child would bring peace and healing to Hestia and its subjects and spread her message of love."
Though Astra and Vlad knew about the rituals, they kept silent and listened to Vic. Anya and I were listening intently, but every time Vic would stop, I could feel the pain in his face. I knew why he felt the pain. After all, this story was his story too. He was linked to this story more strongly than even he would've wanted to be. It wasn't just Dione's story, it was the story of Vic as well.
"Yeah, so um-" He continued, avoiding eye contact with anyone present, so as to hide his emotions, but I noticed it clearly.
"As I was saying, the time when the king had come back from the forest with the news, happened to be at dawn. Therefore, following the traditions, the festival commences at dawn every year. The Royals would start the festival by remembering Eternia, and then they would pray one by one at the Türbeh. Once they were done, the Türbeh would be opened to the common people. People would pray to Eternia for good health, wisdom, and love. And then, they would celebrate by distributing the delicacies around. And then-"
"Vic, tell them the main part." Vlad said, clearly getting a bit bored by the long introduction. However, Anya elbowed him and he went silent.
"Continue, Vic." She said.
"By evening, the whole atmosphere changes. While new batches of food items are prepared, singers like to sing songs of love to remember the sacrifice of Eternia. There are dancers who sway to the songs, and musicians who add music. Usually the main audience are the Royals, because the others remain busy with their shops, but sometimes even the common people like to sit on the ground with everyone and enjoy the cultural festivities." Vic paused and turned to look at the river again. Overlooking the river, was a dense forest. Although the river didn't seem too deep, it was pretty broad.
"People say that's the forest where Eternia was last seen. The king and queen forbade the entrance to the forest so as to not disturb the peace of Eternia, but in the dead of night, the king and queen were said to visit the river with lit up scepters in their hands, and one small earthen oil lamp, that they released into the water. They believed that it would reach Eternia and secure her blessings. Following the tradition, every year, the youngest couple from the Royal family were to do the same, and end the festival."
Vic's words hit me for a hot second. 'Youngest Couple'?
That would mean that dad and mom were to do the ritual all these years, but they never did. I was about to ask Vic, but he spoke up.
"Since the youngest couples were not present in Hestia for a long time, Dada Baris, and Dadi Ceyda, as in… Moon and Anya's grandparents completed the ritual all these years." Vic paused a little and looked at Anya and then at me. His eyes were emotionless, but I could understand his thoughts, which were soon voiced by Astra.
"Buuut, hopefully not this year!" She excitedly came up to Anya and me. Anya simply giggled with her. I smiled too, but most of it felt fake and forced.
The meaning of a couple to me was never complete without Caleb. Back in the U.S., I pushed hard for us to be the perfect couple all through highschool and the first year of college, but I couldn't understand what went wrong.
Caleb's thought made me even more morose, but it didn't make me tear up anymore. Maybe I was able to manage my emotions well? It was hard to say. While a part of me said it was better this way, the other part of me longed for Caleb.
"Moon?"
"Hm?" I was a little startled by Astra's voice. It was time to go back. Vic had only brought us here to tell us about the festival and show us around. Now that it was done, we could go back to the festival grounds.
"Let's go!" Anya squeaked excitedly and almost ran ahead, and Vlad had to run behind her to catch up with her. Astra walked with me, and Vic remained behind us. He was still silent, and it was visibly killing me. Not like I was attached to him, but what I did earlier made me feel like a fool. Hestia and its story was almost like a fairytale to me, but it was too hard to resist the fact that I was already a part of that fairytale. And surprisingly, Vic was a big part of it too. His presence always reminded me of how devoted he was to Dione that even now he gets sad every time he thinks of her…
"Um, Astra, could you uh- go ahead, please? I'll uh- catch up with you guys." I pushed Astra gently on the back, and she took the hint. But Vic was quick to notice as well, and almost swiftly walked past me.
"Vic!" I hastily walked forward and grabbed his palm and stopped him. He turned to look at me, and then down at me holding his hand. I reluctantly let go of his hand, but moved closer to him so that he wouldn't just leave.
"Vic, I-"
"I didn't mind, Moon. It's okay."
His words once again pierced my soul, more because I knew he wasn't saying the truth.
"Vic, I… I promise I didn't mean it that way. I understand your feelings, and I didn't want to hurt them, really."
"Do you?" He raised an eyebrow.
"What?" I asked.
"Do you really understand, Moon? Tell me honestly, do you understand the depth of my… my feelings?"
Vic took a step closer to me, but I didn't back away. The proximity between us was so close, that it made me avert his gaze in me, but I could feel it strongly. But then, he laughed.
"You don't, Moon. You can never. People like you can easily have multiple relationships, but… not me. Or Dione."
His words made me look into his eyes. I couldn't understand whether he hated me, or was sincere, but I could feel his love for Dione. However, that didn't justify how his words made me feel bitter.
"Vic. Mind your tongue. Just because I am from the U.S., doesn't mean that I'm-"
"Not a devoted lover? Well… if you are, then why would you ask me a question which you knew the answer to?"
His words were true, and I did apologize for saying something like that, but it seemed like Vic was not ready to accept my apology at all.
"Vic, I- I did apologize for that."
"Yeah." He snickered at me, "Apologies." He said. "It's really easy for people to apologize, Moon. It's like, oh, I'll apologize after stabbing someone multiple times and the wounds would vanish altogether. But that doesn't happen, Moon. The wound stays. You might be done after apologizing, but the one with the wound knows how much it hurts."
Vic was almost pressing close to me, and I could smell the scent of his skin. He was tense, and hurt. His words, and feelings were clearly understood by me, but Vic was not ready to understand that I understood him. I looked down and sighed.
"Then where's Dione?" I said. Vic remained silent, and looked at me as if this was the strangest question he had ever heard.
"What happened to her? If you really were so devoted to her, would she not be devoted to you as well? What happened to that?" I asked again. This time, Vic gulped. His vision was distant, as if digging memories from his past lives. His face was emotionless like stone, but his eyes told me he was hurting to speak about it. He was struggling internally, but then, he looked straight at me and smirked, defying all the conflicts that he was just dealing with, and said through his teeth, "That's none of your business."
Although his answer shocked me a little, it wasn't unexpected. I calmly looked down and sighed.
"It IS, my business, Vic. It really is."
I didn't have to elaborate. Vic understood why I said that, but he didn't respond. Finally, I had to give in. For the moment, I had to curb my wish to know more, but I swore to find the truth, one way or the other. I turned around to leave, but Vic's words stopped me.
"If it really is your business, why do you keep asking me about it?"
His question was valid, but I only asked him because I felt like trusting him. All these events that happened with me, left me with little to no understanding of reality anymore. It was as if my reality was merging with Dione's, and therefore, I was beginning to trust Vic more and more without even knowing.
"I won't, anymore, Vic."
"Are you sure about that?" He smirked.
"Affirmative." I said.
"You like taking challenges, don't you? First about love and devotion, and now this."
I fully turned towards him again.
"I don't like challenges, Vic. But I'm not afraid to prove myself if needed."
Vic stayed silent for a while as if reading me. I smiled at him.
"Dione never lost a challenge. Moon wouldn't either." I said, and turned and walked away, leaving Vic in silence.
"Moon, that took you quite a while, huh? What were you two doing?" Anya said with a cheeky smile. But I was not in the mood to interact with her. I sighed and looked away, moving ahead.
"Uh- Moon! Wait-" Anya and Astra ran behind me to catch up with me. Vlad remained on the festival grounds for Vic. I didn't have the energy to wait for anyone anymore. I headed straight towards home.
Even though it was January, I had to take a cold shower to calm myself down. I had no intention of speaking rudely with anyone, so the cold shower and a little bit of crying in the shower, made me feel much more relaxed.
'Knock, knock!'
"Come in, please."
Dad opened the door and entered. He almost froze at the door, hesitating for a bit, but then with a smile, approached me.
"How are you doing, Moon?"
"I'm doing fine, dad. Why?"
"I just wanted to know if you like the festival preparations so far or not. I heard your friends are accompanying you these days to get you all the knowledge about this place, hm?"
Though dad mentioned 'friends', the only person who's image flashed in my mind was Vic. And the instant his thought crossed my mind, I felt a flush of anger in me, but I didn't let it take over me.
"Yeah. They are." I smiled and nodded. Dad silently sat next to me on the bed as he spoke.
"I… kind of spoke to the elders. I hope you know what the rituals are for the festival night?"
I nodded.
"Well… both your grandparents and great-grandparents have decided that… it's best if you perform the ritual."
I was taken aback for a moment.
"Me? But- But what about you?" I said, but I didn't mask the other thought that crossed my mind as well, and I added, "Moreover, I- am… not a couple with anyone. You and mom could do it easily, no?"
Dad was silent for a while, as if thinking about it, but then he said, "Your mom and I did the ritual for a few years after marriage. But then your mom got pregnant with you, and we had to completely shift our focus from Hestia to the U.S., and we kind of couldn't come back here for the festival for years. As per the ritual, the youngest Royal couples have to send the lamps to Eternia. Your mother and I, being the youngest Royal couple back then, had to do it. But now… your grandparents and your great-grandparents think that Anya and you should do it."
"Wait, wait, wait- Anya too? But… But what about the 'couple' part, dad? I-I don't understand. None of us are married!"
"I know, Moon. But… your mother convinced us that it would be fine for you both to… go with your uh- lovers."
My eyes widened at what my dad said. 'Lovers'? Did that mean…
"Um, your grandparents, great-grandparents, Misaii, and I thought Anya could be paired with Vlad and you could be paired with Vic-"
"Wait a minute, what?! Did you even ask Anya about this?" I interrupted dad.
"Yes! She said she was fine with the arrangements, so… I came to see what you think of it."
I was still having a hard time understanding why everyone suddenly decided to pair us like that. And for Anya, it was normal to say yes. But what about me?!
"Moon, we only thought of pairing you both with them since you all have been spending so much time together. We thought you would be comfortable with this arrangement, but… it seems you're… perhaps not okay with it?"
I didn't know what to answer, but dad took my silence as a yes. He sighed.
"Well, your mother didn't approve of you going with Vic as well. And that… almost started a feud, so… she very impulsively decided to… go back to the U.S."
'She did WHAT now?!' My thoughts were running wild. Though I kind of agree with mom on not going with Vic, I knew most of that was because of my ego. But still, why would mom go back to the U.S. for a trivial matter like this?! She could have just told everyone to send only Anya. She's younger than me anyway!
"But uh- I spoke with her personally. She said… if the train ride or her flight doesn't get delayed, she'll come back on time for the festival."
I was in a fix. What was mom up to?